A Book Meme

Bon from The Mama tagged me with this meme.

Here's the deal.

1. Find the nearest book.
2. Name the book & the author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page. Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
5. Tag three more folks.

All the books closest to me were Miss A's and thus didn't have a page 123. I had to go to our bedroom and get the book I am (very slowly) reading right now.

So without further ado...

The Birth House by Ami McKay. (Now here is the weird part. The fifth sentence on page 123 isn't really a sentence, it's sort of an advertisement. This book takes place in Nova Scotia, Canada during the 1st World War. The following must have been a poster that was up to “motivate” young men to join the army.)

To the
YOUNG WOMEN OF CANADA

Is your “Best Boy” wearing Khaki?
If not, don't YOU THINK he should be?

If he does not think
you and your country are worth fighting for,
Do you think he is WORTHY of you?

Don't pity the girl who is alone -
her young man is probably a soldier,
fighting for her and her country -
and for YOU.

If your young man neglects his duty to his
King and Country, the time may come when
he will NEGLECT YOU.

Think it over – then ask him to
JOIN THE ARMY TODAY

Wow! It's not all so heavy. This novel is actually about a young woman apprenticing to become a midwife just as a doctor moves to town promising the women “fast, painless childbirth” (Wah?) She struggles to “protect the birthing tradition and women's wisdom that have been passed down to her.” So far I'm enjoying it very much.

I like the idea of this meme. I hoping it will encourage people to pick up books that they may not have otherwise. Just call me Oprah. On second thought, don't.